Various types of aircraft or other flight vehicles often carry payloads that need to be ejected or released from the flight vehicles during flight. For example, jets and drones often carry missiles, bombs, fuel pods, or other payloads under their wings or bodies. Often times, a payload needs to be physically pushed away from a flight vehicle when the payload is ejected or released. In these cases, an ejection unit (also referred to as a release unit) can activate one or more ejector pistons that quickly extend outward from the flight vehicle to contact the payload and push the payload away from the flight vehicle.